Great Song!!!

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Manuel Antonio Trip with Hogar Siembra

This Saturday was one of the best tours Ive done. When there is time off in Costa Rica there is an endless list of things to do. Personally I enjoy doing the same stuff as when Im working. Over the years Costa Rican Resource has developed a relationship with a group of abandoned kids in Alajuela. Some of the kids are orphans, others have parents in jail, and others have been victims of child abuse. When walking into there home called "Hogar Siembra" you see 30 bunkbeds all in the same room and not exactly smiles everywhere. When you take them out for the day they transform into the young fun loving kids we all were. We have taken the group ziplining, rafting, and this weekend we went to Manuel Antonio which is Costa Rica's most visited National Park. Out of the 30 girls that went ages 12 - 17 none of them have ever been to Manuel Antonio. We had one of our best guides Jheudy with the day off who joined us in making it an educational experience from start to finish. I have taken tons of groups to Manuel Antonio and these girls were the first group to walk through the park with notebooks and pens. It turns out the girls will be donig presentations on their trip to the park but the point is that they were really into learning which made us feel great. It was a day full of fun from start to finish. We had breakfast, lunch, and plenty of icecream after playing in the hot sun of Costa Rica's most beautiful beach. On the way back in the bus we were singing songs on the radio and the radio DJ mentioned the name of the girls home and about their trip to Manuel Antonio. They all screamed like they just one Latin Idol. Although I continue to learn about the beautiful natural things of Costa Rica it is always a nice reminder that the most beautiful part about Costa Rica is its people. To the girls at Hogar Siembra, Que Dios les Cuide Siempre!!! The next trip we will be taking the girls canyoning near the Arenal Volcano.

5 Souvenirs you should take from Costa Rica

When traveling anywhere in the world it is not always about the trinket shopping for most things that are made in Taiwan or China. The real souvenirs are taken from real places and people you visit. When visiting Costa Rica I have come up with 10 things you should take with you on your trip home from Costa Rica:

5. Costa Rican Diet - The Costa Ricans eat healthy. There is not a lot of fats in the food it is high protein, carbs, and a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.

4. Some Spanish - Go ahead and dont be afraid to try some Spanish. If you have to leave with just one phrase make sure its "PURA VIDA"

3. Memories - could not write these ten without the famous leave only "footprints" and take only "memories" when walking through the rainforest.

2. Local stop shopping - dont be afraid to go off the beaten path and stop at a local little mom and pops shop. The chances are the people will be very nice and you will have a long conversation of smiles, take some pics, support the local economy and be on your way.

1. Recycled Goods - if you want to have some souvenirs that are truly local then look in different shops and you will notice women groups from different villages who make wallets, purses, keychains, and things of such out of recycled goods such as coffee bags, egg cartons, milk boxes, ect. If you dont see these during your trip send us an email and we have the contacts to get you some goods.

Magma at Turrialba Volcano?

An article in La Nacion this morning informed us that they have been doing some interesting studies with the recent activity of the Turrialba volcano. The studies are conducted at night and it gives the the experts a look to see if any magma material is leaving that would be hard to see with the naked eye. They believe that there is a magma rock inside the volcano which could mean that we might see some lava soon. What they do not know is which way the lava would begin to flow. We will keep you posted on this very interesting activity.

The Turrialba volcano is almost identical to the Irazu volcano which is the tallest volcano in Costa Rica. In recent years tourist have made the trip to the top of the volcano but it is a very tough hike. The volcano has been relatively quiet for over 100 years and just this past year we have begun to see activity.

A Tourism Specialist

Anne Ledezma has a number of years working in the Tourism Industry in Costa Rica designing family vacations and student travels. Tourism has boomed in the last decade in Costa Rica due to its natural beauties and inviting people. One of the reasons for success is the education and knowledge the people who work in tourism in Costa Rica bring to the industry. You will find many Costa Ricans who speak two, three, or even four languages. They are naturally very respectful people but they are educated in areas of how to profesionally treat tourist.

A perfect example in Anne Ledezma who has 15 years of making family vacations and student travel packets. Her experience comes from working with companies large and small. She is very well traveled in and around Costa Rica. Very often she invest hours in to clients just to send them off with advice even if no trip comes of it for the company she does it for the love of her country.

Using Anne as an example it is great to see the love most employees share for their country. Working in tourism is a blessing that most Costa Ricans take much pride in their natural beauties and taking advantage of this to show off just how "Pura Vida" the Costa Ricans are.